IF
things go the way they are going, chances are music channels will soon
be running out of VJs. Most of them seem to be looking for alternative
careers in films. And despite the fact most of their films are flopping.

When she danced into the
hearts of viewers with her Chhaiyya Chhaiyya number opposite Shah
Rukh Khan in Dil Se, Malaika was deluged with similar Bollywood
offers for dance numbers.

Nikhil Chinappa and
Sophiya Haque paired in Sunhil Sippyís Snip! But the film
failed to set the box office on fire. Malaikaís younger sister Amrita
starred opposite Fardeen Khan in the flop Kitne Door Kitne Pass but
she still has two untitled films opposite Govinda and Salman Khan.

Channel (V)ís Purab is
busy shooting for Padam Kumarís Supari. Cyrus Ďbakraí Broacha
has done a cameo in Anupam Kherís multi-starrer, Om Jai Jagdish which
too is getting a thumbs down. Sizzling Sushma Reddy has signed a new
film though she wonít talk till things are finalised.

"A VJ cannot go on
forever", says Malaika and adds,"Thatís why we are all
looking for alternative careers." The only difference is that where
Malaika is raking in the moolah with bit roles, ambitious VJs who want
lead roles are all finding themselves in the Bollywood dump yard!

Laughter on the cards!

Itís a pure sequence! Ekka
Begum Badshah Saturdays on DD Metro at 7.30 p.m. deals out a pack
of laughter. Each episode features a new situation with three central
characters.

Ekka Begum Badshah: Laughing sequence

Manoj Pahwa dons the
role of Ekka [the ace]. He is supported by Tanaz Currim, the Begum
and Ninad Kamath , the Badshah.

Ekka and
Badshah are great friends both smitten by the Begum. The
trouble is she has a totally different agenda in life and is using
them both with her flirtatious overtures and worse, they donít
realise they are being used.

The Begum not
only plays hard to get but also makes clever use of her feminine
charms to manipulate her two suitors. Of the two, the Badshah is
head over heels in love with the Begum, but always ends up
losing out to Ekka.

A good effort at comedy
interspersed with songs. Though not exactly rip-roaring, itís a half
hour of mild entertainment.

Indian face of CNN

With its efforts to go
truly Hindustani for its burgeoning Indian viewership after September
11, CNN has added yet another name to the growing list of Indian
origin news anchors. After Satindra Bindra, Monita Rajpal and Zain
Verjee it is Daljit Dhaliwal who will anchor the networkís signature
World News and World Report.

CNNís Daljit Dhaliwal: Wooing India

"Daljitís
journalistic skills and her on-screen presence reaffirm CNNís
commitment to a diverse anchor base," says executive
vice-president Rena Golden. Previously, Daljit Dhaliwal anchored ITNís
World News for Public Television, a popular channel in the USA.

In addition, she
co-anchored Britainís primetime Channel Four News and served as a
senior anchor on ITNís 24-hour news channel.

As a broadcast anchor,
Daljit has reported on a number of major international news stories of
the last eight years. She has interviewed such notable political
leaders as Pakistanís Benazir Bhutto and Palestineís Yasser
Arafat.

The high point of her
life came in 1999 when she was named one of People magazineís
"50 Most Beautiful People in the World" and was also listed
in Esquire Magazineís "Women We Love." But her true
test will come when Indian viewers include her in their list of TV
women they love.

Reality bytes

It was an idea that had
to spawn clones. Indiaís Most Wanted started a trend that has
been followed by reality shows like Kahani Jurm Ki, Haqeeqat and
Bhawandar with a spot of cosmetic changes.

Scene from Haqeeqat: Bringing cops to book

But despite being
look-alikes some of these true life crime capers have been doing
exceedingly well. Haqeeqat every Tuesday 8.30 p.m. on Sahara TV
is a case in point. The show based on stories of human rights
violations and police atrocities has been boldly naming names and
calling a spade a spade.

The short stories are
dramatised versions of cop-related violence against the common man.
Presented by Mahesh Bhatt, cases range from child abuse, immoral
traffic, dowry deaths, domestic violence and several other crimes
perpetrated by the police.

Nobody was surprised at
the RAPA prize night when Haqeeqat bagged the best direction
award. Said Anuradha Prasad of BAG Films, "We are doing several
shows for different channels but none gives us as much satisfaction as
Haqeeqat."

With their image already
dented, the cops are obviously unhappy with a show that is out to
expose their misdeeds. But viewers seem a happy lot. The guilty are
being shown the high road to justice ó at least on the screen.

Saintly tales

Sant Daadu: Wide appeal

For the devout, the
season of Gods never ends on television. Even as religious epics
continue to crowd the small screen, there is a queue of smaller gods
and godmen waiting in the wings.

Sant Daadu is
a case in point. Though the docudrama on the great saintís life was
aired on Aastha Channel on June 2, it is now being made into a serial
for Doordarshan.

For the uninitiated,
Sant Daadu was one of the handful of saints who influenced Akbar so
much that the Mughal emperor ordered a ban on cow slaughter and gave
him the title of the angel of Allah. Over the years, the saint built a
steady following of both Hindus and Muslims.

Though there are
hundreds of stories of the miracles performed by Sant Daadu, the
producers are concentrating more on the theme of universal brotherhood
espoused by the great saint.

Sant Daadu, who is
ironically still worshipped both by Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat, has
become most relevant in the state which has seen a spate of communal
violence. His appeal like that of Sant Kabir cuts across religious
barriers.

Mumís the word

The producers warn you
this is a quirky and disturbing series. What they donít tell you is
that it is also occasionally shocking.

Mummies In Shades,
June 30, 9 p.m. on the National Geographic Channels, is a grisly
account of a naturally mummified monk who is amazingly well preserved
without embalming and without any anti-decaying preservatives.

This natural mummy is a
major tourist attraction on the Island of Ko Samui off the coast of
Thailand. The monk sits in the same meditative pose heís held for
decades. A miracle? Perhaps. His body was not prepared, not preserved
with chemicals, not eviscerated or coated with arsenic.

Tourists look in awe at
the veins showing through his skin. Some claim his hair and nails are
still growing. What is known for sure is that heís a mummy. And, of
all the things, he is wearing sunglasses!

Legend has it that the
Abbot of Khunaram Temple achieved a Zen state of meditation with the
intention of naturally preserving his body.

The anchor of the show,
Ron Becket and Jerry Conlogue will try to discover what in Buddhist
tradition led the monk to achieve what appears to be lasting
preservation of the body. Not the best of sights but if you tune in
chances are youíll be hooked start to finish.